Special package



April 1964 'r. R. BAXTER 3,129,815

SPECIAL PACKAGE Filed April 20, 1961 United States Patent Ofi ice 3,129,815 SPEQIAL PACKAGE Thomas R. Baxter, Mount Vernon, Shin, assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 20, 1961, tier. No. 104,431 7 Claims. (ill. 20656) The invention relates to packaging and seeks to provide a novel special package for a base powder from which a flavored drink or other potable beverage can be provided by mere admixture of water with the powder in the package.

An object of the invntion is to provide a package of the character stated including a fiat rectangular envelope in which the powder is neatly and compactly contained and which includes heat sealed top and bottom margins and a heat sealed side margin, and another side in the form of a springy Well rounded fold effective, when the top margin has been removed to open the package and when pressure is applied between thumb and fingers of a hand of a person holding the opened package, to assure that the walls of the envelope opposing adjacent the fold will readily move apart to provide a relatively wide opening through which water can be introduced into the powder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a package of the character stated wherein the heat seal along the heat sealed side margin is generally triangular in shape with its widest portion extended toward the bottom of the package in a manner for providing a finger gripping handle portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a package of the character stated wherein there is provided a weakened tear line paralleling and spaced from the top heat seal and serving to facilitate removal of the top portion of the package and opening of the same.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a package of the character stated a novel wall structure serving not only to neatly package and protect the fill, but also to aid in assuring that the mouth of the package will open widely upon application of thumb and finger pressure as aforesaid to receive the Water for admixture with the powder fill.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

--In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a face view of the package.

FIGURE 2 is a left hand edge view, looking at the fold.

FIGURE 3 is a right hand edge view.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 44 on FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view illustrating the package with the top portion thereof removed, hand pressure opening of the package to facilitate the pouring of water thereinto being indicated in dotted lines.

The special package comprises a generally flat rectangle having a top edge or marginal portion 5 heat sealed at 6, a botton edge or marginal portion '7 heat sealed at 8, a side edge or marginal portion 9 heat sealed at It and another side or margin in the form of a springy well rounded fold 11. The base powder fill is indicated at 12.

3,129,815 Patented Apr. 21, 1964 dle portion is shown in FIGURE 1, it is to be understood that the angle placement 13 may be reversed, if desired, to place the wide portion of the gripping handle toward the top of the package.

When the package is intended for the production of flavor soft drinks, a preferred practice, it is to be understood that the powder fill 12 will be a suitably flavored base powder, and the drink may be prepared for zestful drinking by mere admixture of water, plain or carbonated to the powder. It is to be understood, however, that the invention embraces other potable beverages which may be prepared from a suitable base powder by admixture of water therein, soup being another example of adaptation.

In order to facilitate opening of the package, a weakened tear line 15 is provided at spaced parallel relation below the top heat sealed marginal portion as shown in FIGURE 1.

In FIGURE 5 the package is shown with the top portion removed along the weakened line 15, and in dotted lines said package is shown as being grasped in the hand of a person about to introduce water into the package and the powder therein, fingers of the hand engaging and applying pressure at one side, as against the side seal margin as indicated at 15, and thumb engaging and applying pressure against the well rounded springy fold 11 at at 17, thus causing the walls of the envelope opposing adjacent the fold to move apart and provide a side opening 13 through which the water can be introduced very readily.

It will be apparent that the simple envelope is formed by folding a rectangular sheet upon itself, bringing the free edges into superposed relation and in alignment as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, and heat sealing them as previously described, at 6, 8 and 10.

The invention comprehends the use of any acceptable heat scalable sheeting, individual or laminate, of such thickness and resilient nature as will provide the desired well rounded springy side fold at 11. For example, sheetings which have been found satisfactory for the purpose stated may consist of sixty pound paper coated with two mils of polyethylene, or laminates consisting of paper, .00035 foil and a one mil coating of polyethylene, the paper types and Weights running in the range of from twenty-five pound pouch paper to thirty-five pound sulphite. In these uses, it was found that the stiifness of the sheeting, as measured by a Gurley stiffness tester, ranged from 65 through 425 in the machine direction of the laminates, and from 22 through 200 in the across the web direction. These particular values are all measured in milligrams under the precise conditions of test required by this specific tester instrument.

While an example of the preferred form of the package is disclosed herein, it is to be understood that variations in the form and material of the package may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A special package of the character described having generally flat rectangular walls in spaced opposing parallelism about a base powder fill and having at one side a springy well rounded fold, at its other side a heat sealed margin, at its bottom another heat sealed margin, and at its top another heat sealed margin, whereby, upon removal of the top and the incidental provision of an open mouth, a grasping of the sides between the fingers and thumb of a user and application of pressure against said sides, said fold will by it springy nature facilitate separation of the spaced opposing parallel walls adjacent the fold and initiate the provision of a wide opening of the package mouth for the receiving of water for admixture with the powder.

2. A package as defined in claim 1 wherein the side heat seal is generally triangular in shape and provides a finger gripping handle portion.

3. A package as defined in claim 1 wherein the side heat seal is generally triangular in shape and provides a finger gripping handle portion, said handle portion being disposed to present a Wide gripping area toward the bottom of the package.

4. A package as defined in claim 1 wherein said walls consist of sixty pound paper coated with two mils of polyethylene.

5. A package as defined in claim 1 wherein said walls consist of paper in weight range running from twenty-five pound pouch paper to thirty-five pound sulphite, .00035 foil and one mil polyethylene coating.

6. A package as defined in claim 1 including a weakened tear line paralleling and spaced downwardly from the top heat seal and serving to facilitate removal of the top, and wherein the side heat seal is generally triangular in shape and provides a finger gripping vhandle portion.

7. An envelope from which to form the package of claim 1, said envelope comprising a rectangular sheet folded upon itself to provide a springy well rounded fold defining a side of the envelope with the remaining free edges in register, the edges registering along the other side and at the envelope bottom being sealed together but the edges at the envelope top being left unsealed so that a powder fill can be introduced therethrough, said side seal being triangular in shape and or" substantial area for being effective as a finger gripping handle portion.

Reierenees Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,112,824 Mettler Oct. 6, 1914 1,188,046 Curtin June 20, 1916 1,453,015 Lavigne Apr. 24, 1923 1,671,888 Buchanan et a1 May 29, 1928 2,102,653 Smith Dec. 21, 1937 2,144,456 Heywood Jan. 17, 1939 2,373,340 Rohdin Apr. 10, 1945 2,473,840 Amberg June 21, 1949 2,677,165 Copenhaver et al May 4, 1954 2,707,581 Kaplan et al Nay 3, 1955 2,742,218 Sullivan Apr. 17, 1956 2,956,710 OConnor Oct. 18, 1960 2,962,192 Volckening Nov. 29, 1960 

1. A SPECIAL PACKAGE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED HAVING GENERALLY FLAT RECTANGULAR WALLS IN SPACED OPPOSING PARALLELISM ABOUT A BASE POWDER FILL AND HAVING AT ONE SIDE A SPRINGY WELL ROUNDED FOLD, AT ITS OTHER SIDE A HEAT SEALED MARGIN, AT ITS BOTTOM ANOTHER HEAT SEALED MARGIN, AND AT ITS TOP ANOTHER HEAT SEALED MARGIN, WHEREBY, UPON REMOVAL OF THE TOP AND THE INCIDENTAL PROVISION OF AN OPEN MOUTH, A GRASPING OF THE SIDES BETWEEN THE FINGERS AND THUMB OF A USER AND APPLICATION OF PRESSURE AGAINST SAID SIDES, SAID FOLD WILL BY IT SPRINGY NATURE FACILITATE SEPARATION OF THE SPACED OPPOSING PARALLEL WALLS ADJACENT THE FOLD AND INITIATE THE PROVISION OF A WIDE OPENING OF THE PACKAGE MOUTH FOR THE RECEIVING OF WATER FOR ADMIXTURE WITH THE POWDER. 